Of Trickery, Torture, and Triumph
by Forever the Optimist
Summary: In AVPSY, Ron describes the gang's disastrous 5th year. When Umbridge becomes Minister of Magic and appoints the Carrow twins as Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, things start getting hairy. I didn't intend this to be a Dramione story, but that's kind of how it's turning out, so fair warning. Rated T for possible violence only. Events are mostly Starkid; characters, original.
1. Goodbye to Umbridge!

**A.N: Hello, lovelies. Greetings to any new readers. To my faithful, confused few, I have made a few, small changes to this opening chapter, the most prominent of which is, clearly, adding an author's note. This is the first story I ever published, and I was a bit clueless as to the conventions and whatnot of things. So yes. I'm aware this is a bit short, and I promise to any brave adventurers who've read this far that the rest are longer. I do hope you enjoy, if you haven't already. Much love to you all!**

**-Forever the Optimist**

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"_Hem hem."_

All across the great hall, young witches and wizards laughed, ate and chatted, completely ignoring Headmaster Umbridge. It was just another typical day.

"_Hem _hem_." _

Harry, Ron, and Hermione smirked at each other. They knew full well that Umbridge had about as much chance of getting their attention and Hermione did of getting an A-. That is, absolutely none. They went on happily discussing Gryffindor's latest Quidditch victory. Until Professor McGonagall stood up.

"Students, your Headmistress is trying to speak to you. As I know you all will find it… enthralling, please give her your attention." Groans from the students, but eventually there was silence.

"Thank you, Professor McGonagall," said Umbridge in her sweetest voice. "Now students, I have a very important announcement. As some of you may have heard, Cornelius Fudge has recently been feeling the stress of being Minister of Magic, and has decided to retire. As sad as I am to be leaving Hogwarts, I am delighted to announce that I have been made the new Minister of Magic."

Whispers broke out across the Great Hall. _Leaving Hogwarts? Umbridge Minister of Magic? Umbridge gone for good?! _All at once, every student in the room leapt to their feet, cheering at the top of their lungs. Umbridge looked a little taken aback; it was clear she had never gotten such a warm reaction to one of her speeches, and she took a few moments to savor it. Then she cleared her throat.

"_Hem hem._ Thank you, students. I'm glad you're so happy for me. However, as I'm sure you can understand, there will need to be a few changes here. First of all, we will need a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I am delighted to announce that I have found the perfect candidates. May I introduce Alecto and Amycus Carrow, who will be jointly teaching you all this year. I hope you will give them a warm welcome!" She flung her short, stubby arm towards the back of the room, beaming all the while. The doors opened and through them came the Carrows.

A few of the teachers clapped, but not for very long. Most of the students simply stared as the pair walked up to the staff table. Amycus was a lumpy-looking man with an odd, lopsided sneer. Alecto was a short, stocky woman with a rather unpleasant face. They looked as though they could be siblings, but only just. They didn't smile or acknowledge the meager applause, choosing to instead to leer at any students unfortunate enough to catch their eyes. When they at last reached the front of the room and took their places, Umbridge stood up and coughed again.

"_Hem hem. _Thank you students. You are dismissed."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up and joined the tide of Gryffindors returning to the North Tower. Once they reached the common room, Ron said the password (Butterfly kisses), and the trio clambered through the portrait hole. Plopping down in their favorite armchairs by the fire, Ron turned to Harry and said, "Well? What do you reckon?"

"Well," said Harry. "They do look as though they know rather a lot about the Dark Arts."

Hermione looked up from searching for her Ancient Runes books and said, "They do, at that. Maybe they'll last a little longer than some of the others? Goodness knows, anything would be an improvement over Umbridge. I'm sure we'll at least be able to do magic."

"Yes, I'm sure," said Ron darkly, "but what if it's not the kind of magic we want to learn?"


	2. Alecto and Amycus

**Author's Note: Hiya, people! Forever the Optimist here. My apologies about my first chapter. I know it was really short, but I was leaving last weekend, and I wanted to get something up before I left. Also, there was no author's note, because I wasn't smart enough to figure out that you add it as part of the chapter. Yeah. Anyhow... This story is kind of a combo of Starkid and J.K. Rowling's books. In this, as in A Very Potter Senior Year, Dumbledore has passed on (!). As I said in the description, this is based off a chunk of one of Ron's monologues in AVPSY. So, we'll see where all of this goes. If you've got anything to say, anything at all, PLEASE review. I want to hear everything! **

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Harry leaned into the wind, urging his Firebolt to go faster, faster. He reached forward, groping for the Snitch he knew must be there. He almost had it… Suddenly, Harry felt a tug on the back of his broomstick. He looked back and saw Umbridge tightly gripping the tail end of his broom in both meaty little hands. She gave a too-sweet smile and said, "Come now, Potter, don't try to run. You know you can't escape me forever…" The wind began to howl in Harry's ears as Umbridge began to laugh. Her mouth began to swell until it seemed as though she would swallow him whole…

"Harry! Harry, mate, wake up! You're dreaming again! Harry!"

Harry opened his eyes and saw Ron leaning over him, getting ready to shake his shoulder. Harry vaguely realized that Ron had been trying to wake him for some time. Over Ron's shoulder, he could see Neville's pale face reflecting the moonlight.

"Wha… what's ha-ha-happening over there?" yawned Seamus.

"Nothing, Seamus," called Ron. "Go back to sleep."

A snore was the only answer he got. Ron sighed. "You going to be alright, mate?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah, you go back to bed. I'll be fine…" Ron nodded and crawled back into his fourposter. Harry, however, did not go back to sleep. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling, thinking. His dream was probably correct. Umbridge becoming Minister of Magic couldn't be much better than Headmistress. Doubtless she would only use her newfound power to wreak even more havoc in his life. And these Carrows couldn't be good news. Harry lay there until rays of light began to light up the room.

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione waited outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts room with the rest of the Gryffindors. Classes were supposed to have started several minutes ago, and their new teachers were nowhere in sight. Hermione was alternating between checking her schedule and peering anxiously down the corridors. "Oh, I do hope nothing happened to them! What if they never show up?"

"So what if the don't?" asked Ron, who was setting up for a game of Exploding Snap with Dean. "We just don't get a lesson today. Big deal. Besides, that means less homework for us."

"Yes, exactly!" cried Hermione. "This is our OWL year! What will we do with no Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? This is the most important year of our wizarding careers! They could be lost, or sick, or-"

"Oh, give it a rest, Hermione," sighed Harry exasperatedly. "If they show, they show. If they don't, they don't. That's all there is to it."

"Right!" chimed in Dean. "The longer we put off meeting these two, the better, I say. They didn't look like-"

Hermione looked over in disgust as Ron beat at the edges of his robe, which had just caught fire. Dean was gingerly feeling his newly singed eyebrows. Ron hurriedly swept up the remains of his cards and tucked them into his robe. Just then, a voice from the back of the crowd cried out, "Everyone! Here they come!"

Quickly, the Gryffindors formed two straight lines, one on each side of the door. They stood in silence as their two new teachers turned the corner and saw their students in formation. Alecto smirked at her brother and swept through the lines to the door. Her brother strode after her. Alecto opened the door and walked in. Then she abruptly turned around and leered, "Well? Do you want to learn or what?" The students quickly filed in and took their places. The siblings sneered at each other and followed them in.

Amycus stood at the lectern, while Alecto stood in the back. He cleared his throat and began. "Students. My sister and I are here to instruct you in defending yourselves against the Dark Arts. We believe that the best way to protect yourselves from them is to fully understand them. Now, I am aware that you have had some instruction in the Unforgiveable Curses. We have decided to begin today with teaching you the method behind these curses, and, eventually, how to use them."

Murmurs broke out among the students. Hermione's hand shot up. Amycus peered down at her.

"Yes, Miss..."

"Granger, sir, and did you say _using_ the Unforgivable Curses? Are you aware that those three spells have been illegal for longer than we have been alive? Does the Ministry know about this?"

"Quiet, you," snapped Alecto. "We know our business, and it's not for you to question what we do. We teach, you learn, and that's all there is to it. Understand?"

Harry and Ron exchanged looks. Hermione nodded slowly. Amycus smiled coldly at her. "Miss Granger, the Ministry feels that desperate plights call for desperate measures, as they say. One never knows what could be waiting out there to prey on students like yourselves. Should you ever find yourselves in a position where you should need to defend yourselves, we would like you to be prepared. Any more foolish questions?"

The class was silent.

"Good. Then take out your quills and copy this down." Amycus tapped his thin, black wand on the blackboard and the heading 'Unforgivable Curses: A Practical Approach' appeared on the board. There was a flurry of motion as the students hurried to find quills and parchment. They spent the rest of the hour copying down notes. When the bell finally rang, Amycus called out, "Homework-a history of the use of any one of the curses since 1200 A.D. 2 rolls of parchment, no exceptions!" As the students left the room, Alecto could be distinctly heard to mutter "Brats."

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione went down to the Great Hall for lunch, talking all the way.

"I still can't believe we're learning the Unforgivable Curses! said Hermione breathlessly. "It's almost as though they want us to be Death Eaters. Thank goodness there's the DA, so we learn REAL Defense Against the Dark Arts!"

"Yeah," said Ron. "This is supposed to be 'Defense Against the Dark Arts', not 'The Dark Arts!' Wait a sec..." Ron's face twisted in concentration. "What if they do want us to be Death Eaters? This would be the perfect plan! If You-Know-Who has infiltrated the Ministry, why not put someone he can control in the head spot and appoint some of his cronies to train us for his army? The perfect plan!"

Hermione looked highly skeptical, but Harry said slowly, "You know, I wouldn't be at all surprised if that were true." Hermione stared at him.

"No, wait, hear me out. We know that Cornelius Fudge loves being in power, right?" The two nodded ruefully. "So it's not like him to just retire! That's not his style. Remember when Dumbledore tried to tell him that Voldemort was back? He flat-out denied it! Refused to believe it! So why now?"

Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "You know, something does seem a little strange about that."

Ron was excited now. "Exactly! What if You-Know Who _forced_ him to resign? It all adds up!"

Hermione was beginning to be convinced. "If you two are right..."

Harry looked back and forth between the two faces, one flushed, one doubtful. "Then the DA is more important than ever."

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**Ok, I know that I probably totally destroyed both Amycus and Alecto, I don't really remember a whole lot about them or their characters. So if you see something you think I should change, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know! I want to make this as realistic as possible. Thanks a heap! Also, I may be introducing Ginny in the next chapter, and I haven't yet decided if I want her and Harry to be dating yet or not. Any suggestions? I know in the books they aren't but in Starkid's musicals I think they are...it isn't really official until AVPSY. So I will leave it up to you fabulous people. Feel free to review or PM me. Whoo hoo!**


	3. The DA's Decision

**A.N: Hello everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to post another chapter, but AP testing is coming up, so I haven't had a ton of time. Nothing like a little stress to squash the creative juices. Oh well. So. My dear friend Quiet Defiance has informed me that a) Ginny and Harry are dating now, and b) Fudge should be dead (if we're going by Starkid storylines). For Harry and Ginny, read on. As for Fudge...too bad. I am mixing versions here, which I am completely within my rights to do. I have also been told that I am abusing abbreviations, so I'll try to stop doing that. Sorry. Also, I have been asked for a physical description of the Carrows. I don't remember what they look like, to be perfectly frank, so if someone else remembers, please help me out! Anyhow, thanks for reading as far as you have, and all the reviews I've gotten- I really appreciate the support and I love to hear from y'all. 69 views, which makes me ridiculously happy.**

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Harry waited in the Room of Requirement for the other members of Dumbledore's Army to arrive. He had purposely gotten there early so to have time to think and clear his head before getting thrown back into the chaos of teaching twenty-some enthusiastic students. He wasn't sure what to expect as to their reactions to the Carrows- what if they thought his theories were laughable? 'Well, worry about that when it comes,' Harry thought philosophically. He was just about to get up and set out some cushions for the group to sit on when the door opened.

"Harry?"

His heart did a little jump. It was Ginny.

"What are you doing here so early? We don't start for another ten minutes yet."

She grinned. "I could ask you the same thing." She slipped in and closed the door, then leaned back on it, watching Harry form across the room. "I was hoping to find you here. I've been looking for you all over. Have you been avoiding me?" she teased. Harry grinned back at her. "I've just been a little busy recently, what with Quidditch and school and whatnot..." Harry trailed off. Ginny seemed to be hiding a smile. "What?" he demanded. She laughed and walked over to sit beside him. "Nothing. It's just good to see you, is all." Harry peered at her for a moment, still a little unsure. He felt like he was missing something.

The door opened again, this time revealing Ron and Hermione.

"Hi, Harry," they said. Then Ron turned to his sister. "Happy birthday, sis. Here." He thrust a small package into her lap. Hermione added her congratulations and a gift. Harry blushed. So _that _was what he had forgotten-his girlfriend's birthday. The rest of the D.A. arrived in ones and twos, each one bringing Ginny a gift or card. Even Luna, who was usually off in her own world, brought Ginny a hand-drawn 'Guide to the Lesser-known Creatures of the Magical World,' featuring creatures like the Crumple-Horned Snorkack and the Blibbering Humdinger. Harry, it seemed, was the only one who had forgotten. And that fact was not lost on Ginny.

"Did you have something to say?" she asked, her face too innocent. Harry grinned sheepishly. "Happy birthday, Ginny." He pulled her to her feet and kissed her right there, ignoring the whistles from the rest of the kids. When they finally separated, Ginny beamed up at him, her cheeks only a little red.

"Nice try. I know you forgot. And you still better get me a gift."

Harry smiled at her, knowing he was forgiven. "Of course. First chance I get."

From the other side of the room, a voice that sounded suspiciously like one of the Weasley twins, called "So, are we gonna start or what?"

Harry looked across the room at the twins, who were sporting identical evil grins. "Of course. So, as you probably know, we have new Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. I don't know about the rest of you, but neither are my favorite teacher ever." He waited for the mutters and cries of "Hear, hear!" to die down, then continued. "Have they been teaching you all the Unforgivable Curses too?" General assent. "So then you know what I mean. Yes, Cho?" She had just raised her hand.

"Well," she said in her classic Southern drawl, "When I was in their class yesterday, I went up to ask Professor Carrow-the guy- a question, and I swear he was looking down my shirt. _And _he patted my behind when I walked away." She lowered her hand slowly. Lavender hugged her and squealed "Poor thing!"

"That's ruddy awful. They can't do that to her!" yelled Seamus.

"Too right, they can't!" Said Harry forcefully. "So what are we going to do about it?"

"There's not a whole lot we can do, is there?" asked Ginny.

Luna looked up excitedly. "We could call an army of Sangerines! They're big creatures made completely of blubber that..." Luna babbled on as the rest of the group shouted other suggestions.

"Get them arrested for harassing our Cho!" called Lavender, hugging a tearful Cho.

"Tell McGonagall what horrible things they're teaching us!" Dean yelled.

"Poison," suggested Ron grimly. Harry raised his hands for silence.

"Ok everyone. What I had in mind was learning spells to repel them-spells to direct their attention away from you or make them stop touching you. Basic things that are subtle enough to keep them away from all of us until we come up with a better plan. Sound good?" Everyone agreed, some more readily than others.

"I dunno," said Seamus slowly. "It just seems so cowardly, you know? Like we're just lying down and taking it. We need to DO something!"

"We will," said Harry. "Just not yet. Consider it biding our time. Any other concerns?"

The room was silent.

"Great. So if you'll divide up into pairs, Hermione found this charm that will give anyone who touches you a nasty shock that feels exactly like a static shock..."

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**Thanks again for reading! Please review!**


	4. Did Somebody Say

**A.N: Hey everyone! Nice to see you're still reading. Sorry it's been so long, but I really wasn't sure where to go from my last chapter, and I finally settled on this! Here you go! Please review, we all know how much I love hearing you all!**

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"Well," said Harry, flopping down on one of the chairs in the Room of Requirement. "I think that went well."

Hermione nodded tiredly. "Yes, they really seemed to be paying attention. I just hope it's enough."

Ginny nodded as well, then sat down next to Harry. He kissed her head. "Happy birthday, Ginny," he murmured into her hair. She smiled, then yawned. Ron yawned , then Harry. Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth, knowing she was next. Harry and Ron exchanged glances, then burst out laughing. The girls weren't far behind.

After a few moments, Hermione, smiling, said, "Perhaps we should be getting to bed?"

Ron grinned, then yawned again. "Ma...maybe you're right." He grabbed her hand and the two wandered out. Harry and Ginny watched them go, smiling fondly.

"It's so nice that they finally officially got together," she said. "We both knew they liked each other, and they knew they liked each other, but neither wanted to admit it."

"Well, of course," said Harry teasingly. "You never tell a girl you like her because it makes you look like an idiot. Right?"

Ginny beamed. "Right, but you're my idiot." He smiled and kissed her cheek, then stood up, pulling her after him. "We really should be going back to Gryffindor tower," he said reluctantly.

She sighed and followed him out.

* * *

The next morning, Harry sat at the Gryffindor table, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. All the members of the D.A. were paying the price for their late night. Looking down the table, Harry stifled a laugh. Neville was face-down in his eggs, snoring. Fred and George were trying to see how many pancakes they could stack on top of his head without him waking up. As he watched, the pile teetered and fell, strewing pancakes everywhere. Neville didn't move. Laughing, Harry returned to his breakfast. Ron and Hermione were bickering again, but Harry had learned to tune it out. Ginny sat across the table, and the pair exchanged smiles every so often. Up at the staff table, their new professors were arguing with Professor McGonagall. They were getting more and more angry by the second. McGonagall looked supremely disdainful. Harry nudged Hermione.

"Well, if you would just _listen, _I-what, Harry?"

He pointed up to the staff table. Hermione and Ron watched for a moment, then Hermione said, "I'd love to know what their fighting about. Do you think someone tipped McGonagall off that we were learning illegal spells?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't imagine that she could do anything about it even if she did know. After all, 'they know their business, and it's nor for us to question what they do,'" he said mockingly. Ron laughed. Ginny punched him lightly on the shoulder, but she was hiding a smile as well. Hermione shook her head.

"It almost looks like they're...winning," Hermione said slowly. Sure enough, as the group watched, McGonagall bowed her head, tight-lipped, and gestured towards the podium. Smirking at each other, the pair walked up to it. Alecto used his wand to magnify his voice, then bellowed at the students.

"Ok everyone, listen up! My sister and I have permission to begin a dueling club here, where we will be focusing on the practical application of your new curriculum. This is not optional. Everyone will report to the Great Hall tomorrow for our first meeting, directly after classes are finished. Any questions?"

The students had learned by now that it was wiser not to say anything.

"Good. You all may be dismissed."

As everyone stood up to go, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all exchanged glances. Everyone was wondering what the next day would bring, and they were no different.

"Practical application..." wondered Ginny aloud as they began to leave. "He surely can't mean using the Curses in _duels,_ can he?"

"I wouldn't be at all surprised," muttered Ron. "They are horrible people, just horrible."

"Did somebody say Draco Malfoy?"

They all began to curse quietly but steadily. Hermione moaned. Harry slowly turned around. "What, Malfoy?"

"Well," he said, looking a little too innocent. "No need to act so happy to see me. I just wanted to know what you thought or of our new teachers." He addressed this to everyone, but looked only at Hermione, which did not go unnoticed.

"Listen, Malfoy," she sighed, "None of us cares what you think." Ginny opened her mouth as though to disagree, but a glare from Ron silenced her. Hermione continued, "We would just like to go get ready for class, so if you have something to say, spit it out already."

Malfoy stepped back with an air of wounded dignity. "Well, Miss Granger, I'll just be going then. But remember, I know this isn't the easiest thing for you. So if you ever need someone to talk to..."

Ron grabbed Hermione and pulled her back to him. His ears were bright red. "Listen up, Malfoy. She's my girlfriend, and you can't have her. So bugger off." With that, Ron shoved past Malfoy, pushing him into the wall. Harry, Hermione, and Ginny followed. Ginny shot an apologetic glance his way, but he was too busy checking for injuries to notice. Harry reached back and took Ginny's hand. She squeezed it, looking with concern at her older brother. She and Harry fell back, and Ginny looked up at Harry.

"Do you think he's getting a bit...possessive?" Harry frowned.

"If it were anyone else, I would say yes, but this is Malfoy. He's been a jerk since the first day we met. Remember? I'm sure I told you about that."

Ginny nodded slowly. "Yes...you told me he asked to be your friend."

Harry shook his head in disgust. "He told me that he was racist, despised Muggleborns and gingers, hated Gryffindor House, and that his parents work for the man who killed my parents. And you're trying to tell me that he's not a jerk?"

She pursed her lips. "Well, I'm not saying he's the nicest person ever, but I don't think he's as bad as you make him out to be. At least he didn't try to hide anything from you."

Harry stopped and stared at her in disbelief. She stared back at him defiantly. "Are you honestly defending him?"

Ginny looked uncomfortable, but refused to back down. "So what if I am?"

The two stared at each other for a while. Finally, Ginny said, "Forget it. I'm going to bed." She strode off down the corridor, leaving a stunned Harry behind her.

* * *

"And so then," Harry said to Ron and Hermione in the Gryffindor common room several minutes later, "she just walks off! What's up with that?" Ron shook his head.

"I dunno. I just can't believe she would defend such an idiot," said Ron, shaking his head. Hermione was sitting with a textbook on her lap, to no one's surprise. Ron was eating Chocolate Frogs. The two had had very different reactions to Harry's tale. Ron had been very much on Harry's side, but Hermione...

"Well, I do think you may have been a bit unfair, Harry. He has gotten really nice now, you know. He's not a bad person, just...unpleasant."

This time, it was Ron's turn to stare in disbelief. "Really? You too?" He turned to Harry in disgust. "You know what, Harry, I understand you better and better everyday." He slung an arm around Harry's shoulder, glaring at Hermione. "Come on, buddy. Let's get out of here." The two turned and walked up the spiral staircase to their dormitories, leaving a bemused Hermione behind.

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**Did'ja find the Starkid references? Tee hee. I had a lot of fun writing this, actually, considering how long it took me to write it. Also, watch out because I may be wrecking some ships soon. Just fair warning. Lots of love!**


	5. Umbridge's New Order

**A.N: Hey everybody! Still here? Great. Sorry for the delay, I recently started a new story, and that's been taking up some time. Also, you may have noticed that I changed the category to Harry Potter. I decided that this really had very little to do with Starkid, so I better just put it where it belongs. So yeah! Read, review, etc, etc, etc. Thanks a bunch! **

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Breakfast the next morning was a subdued affair. Harry and Ron were studiously ignoring Hermione and Ginny, and the girls followed suit. All of their friends could tell something had happened, but no one wanted to interfere. The friends had never fought so much, and they had never had such a strong division-the ultimate battle of the sexes. Even when the post arrived and one of the owls dropped Hermione's copy of the Daily Prophet in Ron's lap, he merely picked it up by the corner, touching as little of it as he could, and handed it across the table. Hermione took it just as gingerly. Neither looked the other one in the face. Harry looked up, ready to share one of the exasperated looks he often shared with Ginny and saw her buried in the newspaper with Hermione, something she never did. He was about to brush aside the edge to see her face when he remembered-they weren't speaking anymore. Harry reached for the salt to excuse his motion, dumping far too much on his eggs. He shoved away his plate. Suddenly, Hermione gasped. Instantly, Harry and Ron looked at her, worried. Ginny hid a smirk.

"Wha..." Ron started to ask, then bit his lip and went back to his sausages. Hermione glanced up at him, then quickly looked away. This time, Harry and Ginny did share a glance across the table, and he grinned nervously at her. She gave him a small smile in return.

"What is it, Hermione?" Ginny asked. Hermione held up a hand, silently asking her to wait. She had been reading the main article, and the farther down she got, the more worried she looked. When she finally looked up, she had the full attention of all three of her friends, their differences forgotten. She looked up and down the aisle, checking for listeners, then said quietly, "She knows."

The friends stared at her. "Who knows?" "Knows what?" Hermione took a shaky breath, her eyes glazing over in thought. "Umbridge...she's doing... and if she...so much trouble...we have to do something."

Harry and Ron looked at each other and sighed. "Well," said Ron, rolling his eyes, "That clears that up. It would have been really annoying if you hadn't explained yourself properly."

Hermione looked up, her eyes coming sharply back into focus. "Umbridge just announced that her first move as Minister will be to conduct investigations into the activities of all the students at Hogwarts, to 'get a full idea of the potential and involvement of the next generation of wizards,'" she read. She looked directly at Harry. "She knows about the D.A. There's no other reason for it. She must have found out somehow and thinks we're some kind of threat..."

Ginny nodded slowly. "And if she knows we're rebelling against her teaching methods..."

Ron shook his head. "We are in _so _much trouble."

* * *

After classes ended for the day, all the students trooped down to the Great Hall for their first dueling lesson. The atmosphere was tense, but excited. Everyone was nervous to see what they would actually have to do. Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Harry, now forgiven, were clumped near the stage that had been set up across the Hall.

"You don't think they'd _actually_ make us curse each other, do you?" Ginny asked anxiously. As they day went on, she had gotten more and more upset.

Ron patted her on the back. "Well, they can't force us to, can they? Besides, they wouldn't make us use the Killing Curse-McGonagall would put a stop to it," he said confidently.

Hermione looked at him sharply. "But McGonagall already tried to stop it, remember? And if they're teaching us the Unforgivable Curses, a little torture probably doesn't seem so bad..." She trailed off at the look on Ginny's face. She seemed ready to burst into tears. Harry put a protective arm around her and she buried her face in his shoulder. Hermione cautiously patted her on the back. Harry glared at her and mouthed "Thanks, Hermione!" She pulled her hand back quickly.

"But really, though," continued Ron as though nothing had happened. "What kind of idiot teaches children who are 'potential threats,' or whatever Umbridge thinks, who teaches them the most dangerous spells known to man? Really?"

Hermione smirked. "Well, they're clearly not too bright. We knew that from the start."

"Well, _I _for one think it's a brilliant idea," said none other than Draco Malfoy. "In a world like we've got, we have to know how to protect ourselves, don't we?" He casually laid an arm across Hermione's shoulders. Ron bristled and opened his mouth to say something, but Harry got there first.

"Listen, Malfoy, if you want to take whatever crap they give you, go ahead. But it isn't right, no matter what you say. So shove off, alright?"

Malfoy quickly stepped back, hands in the air. "Very well, Potter. But when the Ministry locks you up for insubordination, don't expect me to visit you in Azkaban." He started to walk away, smirking, but Ron grabbed his shoulders and spun him around. Harry tensed, ready to intervene, but Ron merely tweaked Malfoy's nose, 'ate' it, then retrieved it from...the proper place for such things, and put it back on Malfoy's face. "You, sir, have a poop nose now," he said, pointing straight at the horrified Malfoy. Malfoy frantically rubbed his nose. "Not again! Weasly, you wait 'til my father hears of this!" he cried, then ran away. Ron raised his arms in victory. He turned to high-five Harry but found Hermione in his way, disgusted.

"That was really immature, Ron. It was funny when we were twelve, but not anymore. Grow up, why don't you?" She grabbed Ginny's hand and the two raced off through the crowd after Malfoy. Ron stared at Harry, furious. "Grow up, she says, huh? Alright, then," he said, "I'll grow up. I'll show her. And she's gonna look like such and idiot. I don't know how yet, but-"

"Attention, please! Students, settle down! We need to begin," called Professor Amycus. Ron smiled slowly. "Such an idiot."

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**Again, thanks for reading!**


	6. He Showed Her

**A.N: Hey all! To our new readers, welcome! To our old hands, welcome back! Sorry for leaving you on a bit of a cliffhanger last chapter, but I wanted to save the battle for the next one. Hope you like it! As always, please review!**

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"Students! Your attention, _please!"_

Gradually, conversations stopped and everyone turned towards the stage. Ron was still staring in the direction Hermione and Malfoy had gone, a hungry look in his eyes.

"Alright, students. I will need a volunteer pair from the audience. Will anyone pl-"

A hand shot straight up in the air. For once, it wasn't Hermione's.

"Very good, Mr..."

"Weasley, sir," said Ron, hand still in the air.

Amycus nodded. "Excellent. Mr. Weasley, come here please." Ron started to shove his way through the crowd, but Harry grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. "Ron," he whispered urgently. "Do you really think this is a good idea? You can't hex Malfoy right there-that's not what Hermione's going to want to see. Just back off and let her cool down."

Ron shook his head and wrenched out of Harry's grasp. He strode to the stage, never once looking back. Alecto helped him up the stairs with a grin, putting a thick chain across them to prevent him from leaving. Harry's uneasiness grew.

"Now, Mr. Weasley, you're going to need a partner. Any volunteers?"

No one moved.

"Well, then, I guess you'll just have to pick someone. Go ahead," said Amycus, gesturing out across the silent crowd. He now wore a grin identical to his sister's, and neither were very warm or friendly. Ron's grin matched theirs, which had Harry really worried. Redheads. No telling what they would do.

"If it's alright, I'd like to duel Draco Malfoy, sir." said Ron, who had found the unfortunate Draco in the crowd and was staring right at him. Harry shoved his way through the crowd until he could see Malfoy's face. He was pale, and looked torn, as though he didn't _want_ to duel.

"Come on, then, Mr. Malfoy. Or are you too _scared_ to come up?" jeered Alecto. Harry saw Draco wince. Harry was sure that Draco was thinking of what his father would say if he heard of his son refusing to duel a member of the hated Weasley family. Harry saw him stiffen up and nod once, sharply. "I'll do it!" he cried. Harry sighed. Who knew how this would turn out?

"Excellent," hissed Alecto, rubbing her hands together. "Get up here, and let's start this thing!"

No one moved as Malfoy walked slowly to the stage. Just as with Ron, Alecto put a heavy chain across the stairs. Harry could see Malfoy glance back and gulp, but he strode to the center of the stage where Ron waited. Amycus walked over and placed a hand on each boy's shoulder with what was surely meant to be a welcoming smile, but looked to Harry more like a sneer.

"Alright, you two, shake hands." The boys did. Harry could see that Ron was gripping Malfoy's hand much harder than was necessary. Malfoy bore it stoically.

"Now take five steps back,...and...begin!" cried Amycus, stepping out of the way. Ron whipped his wand above his head and yelled, "This is what happens when you try to steal people's girlfriends! _Imperio!"_

* * *

_Draco's mind was spinning. All his cares fell away: his anger, his fear, everything. He was floating in white fog, with nothing at all to trouble him. Then came a voice from somewhere deep in the back of his mind: _Draco, _it said quietly. _Draco. Get up. _He vaguely realized that he was lying on the ground, and quickly clambered to his feet, tripping over the bottom of his robes in the process. He smiled happily-it was so nice not to have to worry about anything..._Draco, _came the voice again. _See that girl? _A face popped into his mind-a beautiful girl with long, curly brown hair. 'Hermione,' he thought, and smiled again. _Walk up to her._ 'Well, alright,' he thought. 'If you insist.' He walked towards the face, unaware that he had stumbled off the stage and landed spread-eagled on the floor. He clambered to his feet and stumbled on, no thought in his mind but to get to that face. He walked right up to her._

* * *

Hermione watched in horror as Ron pointed his wand straight at her, grinning wolfishly. She stared as Draco fell off the stage at her feet and stood before her, swaying slightly and smiling like an idiot. "Ron," she said slowly, "what are you..." As she watched, his smile disappeared, replaced with a look of confusion. His hands curled into fists, and he brought one back as though to punch her, but the other came up to slap the first away. Hermione backed away slowly and Draco sank to the floor, still at war with himself. She glanced up at the stage to see Ron with an intense look of concentration on his face. When he saw her watching, he grinned and winked at her. That small bit of distraction was enough. Malfoy surged to his feet and shook his head to clear it. He then plunged his hand into his robes and pulled out his own wand. He pointed it straight at Ron and cried, "_Crucio_!"

Hermione screamed as Ron fell to the floor, writhing. Draco watched him suffer for a few moments before ending the spell. He turned to Hermione, breathing hard. "I couldn't do it," he said quietly. "He wanted me to hit you, but I just couldn't."

Hermione reached out to pat his shoulder, but he had already turned and ran. Hermione cried, "Draco, wait!" But her cries fell on deaf ears. She slowly realized that everyone was staring at her, and she flushed beet red. She grabbed Ginny's arm and ran from the room.

Ron jumped off the stage and strode over to Harry, a triumphant grin on his face. He watched Hermione run from the hall and thumped Harry on the back. "I showed her," he said. "I showed her so good." Harry stared at him for a moment, then shook his head and put an arm around Ron's shoulders.

"I dunno, man," he said, "but I don't think that's the best way to get back a girl. See, girls don't like it when you make someone hit them. It just makes you look bad, see. We've been over this. Remember? The Yule Ball?" Ron's smile slipped off his face and crashed to the floor. He stared at his feet, then looked up at Harry in desperation. "So what do I do?" he asked. "Now what?"

"Well," said Harry slowly, "you should probably start by apologizing to her, you think?" Ron nodded. Harry lead his friend out of the Hall, ignoring the looks the other students shot their way. "Then you should do something nice for her. And," Harry sucked in his breath, "you should be nice to Malfoy."

Ron stared at him in anguish. "Really?" he said quietly. Harry nodded slowly. "Yeah. I know. It won't be easy, but we really ought to try."

"Why?" asked Ron petulantly. "He's a little butt. Nobody even likes him. Why should _I_ be nice to him? Or you? You're the coolest kid in the whole world! Everybody likes you, so why should he matter to you?"

Harry sighed. "Ron, you have to understand. When you like someone, it doesn't matter what you want. It only matters what _she _wants. _That's_ what has to be important to you. If Hermione is nice to Malfoy, you be nice to him too. _That's_ how you get a girl. That's why Ginny and I are still together. Because what she wants matters to me."

Ron took a deep breath, then nodded. "Ok, I'll try. But no promises."

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**Thanks for reading! This chapter has a lot of references to A Very Potter Musical, so if you haven't seen it, GO WATCH IT! The world can always use more Starkid fanpeoples. You will get a lot more out of this, too. Thanks again for reading and please review!**


	7. The Interrogation

**A.N: Hey everybody! Sorry it's been so long. I fought with myself for a long time over what I was going to say here. You may or may not notice that this scene very much resembles one of J.K. Rowling's actual scenes. I'm sorry if that bothers you, but I figure, it's a fanfiction, and I'm definitely a fan of that scene. So if that sends you into a rage, take it up with me in a PM. Or you could just not read this chapter, but you'd be missing out! Please review!**

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Harry waited outside an empty classroom, waiting for his interrogation, sorry, _interview,_ with Dolores Umbridge,-he shuddered-Minister of Magic. He checked his watch: 11:47. He sighed, imagining the lunch he was missing. Just then, the door opened and a first-year Hufflepuff girl slipped out. She was visibly shaking. Harry tried to smile kindly at her, but she squeaked when she saw him and ran. Harry shook his head ruefully.

_First-years, _he thought. _Always terrified of famous people. _

"Mr. Potter, you may come in now."

Harry slipped through the door and closed it behind him. He made no move to come any closer to his former professor than was absolutely necessary. She was just as she remembered him: curly hair, fake smile, beady eyes, dressed in-of course- florid pink robes. A small pink bow was perched lightly on top of her hair. A familiar lace doily and vase of fake flowers sat on the desk. Apparently just because she no longer taught at Hogwarts was no reason not to bring all the comforts of her office along.

"Please sit down, Mr. Potter," she said sweetly, gesturing to a pink chintz armchair and seating herself in another, larger one behind the desk. She opened a file folder and pulled out a sheet of paper.

"So, Mr. Potter. I have here your grades in all-" she looked up and noticed that Harry had not moved from the doorway. Her smiled suddenly looked a lot more forced. "Mr. Potter, I asked you to take a seat. I know we haven't had the best of relationships in the past, but this is merely a friendly chat. There's no need to be so suspicious. Now," she said as Harry slowly walked towards the chair, "tea? Coffee? Pumpkin juice?"

Harry stared at her suspiciously. He didn't put it past her to put something in his drink-Veritaserum, maybe, or poison? "No, thank you," he said coldly. Incredibly, her smile widened.

"Come, now, Mr. Potter. I insist that you have a drink with me. Choose something."

"Fine," he said at last. "Tea, then."

Umbridge's smile turned positively poisonous. "_Wonderful, _Mr. Potter. That wasn't so hard, now, was it?" She poured tea from a pink tea set that appeared with a wave of her wand. She made a great show of adding milk with her back turned, then handed him a small teacup. "Go on," she added sweetly. "Drink up."

Harry, still suspicious, pressed the cup to his closed lips, but drank nothing.

"Good, good," she murmured, staring at him intently. "Now. I understand that you have started a secret Defense Against the Dark Arts group. Is this true?"

_Veritaserum for sure, then,_ he thought. "Defense Against the Dark Arts group?" he said blankly. "Why would I want to do that? Seems to me, we're learning more than we need this year."

She glared at him. He smiled blandly back, enjoying her frustration.

"Mr. Potter," she said a little more forcefully, "I don't think you understood me. I have heard certain...rumors...that you are the leader of s secret group dedicated to the destruction of the Ministry, and you are training your fellow students to hate all adults in power. _Is this true?"_

Harry almost choked, he was so surprised. Destruction of the Ministry, hmm? He wondered vaguely who on Earth had told her such a thing. "I don't know what you've heard, Professor Umbridge, but I'm just trying to learn. Nothing illegal. I don't hate adults in power." _Not all of them, anyway,_ he thought.

She stared at him for a moment, then said quietly, "Let me see your teacup, Mr. Potter."

Harry flinched. She smiled again, and beckoned with her stubby little fingers. Harry noticed suddenly that she had added several rings since leaving Hogwarts. "Yes, Mr. Potter. Your teacup. Hand it over, now."

Reluctantly, he set the full cup on the desk. She nodded. "Just as I thought. Very well. I don't believe I shall be needing anything more from you today. You may go. Unless there's anything else you wish to tell me?" She smiled sweetly at him.

He blinked at her for a few moments, unable to believe it. She was just letting him go? Just like that? Then her last question registered. He stood up, now several inches taller that her. "Yes, I do have something to tell you. No matter how many people you bribe or sweet-talk, you will never be a good Minister of Magic. You have no right to interfere at Hogwarts, and no one here will ever tell you anything, no matter what."

The smile fell from her face in an instant. She glared back, then nodded decisively. "Very well, Mr. Potter. As to my success as Minister, I respect that you have a right to air your opinion, just as I have every right to ensure that England's youth are being well-educated and properly brought up. And you would be surprised what people will say with a little.._persuasion_. Now leave." She flicked her wand, and Harry felt as if a giant hand was pushing him towards the door. He contented with slamming it behind him as he left.

_Persuasion?_ he thought._ That sounds more than a little ominous to me. I'd better tell the rest of the D.A, and soon. We have not seen that last of Dolores Umbridge._

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**Ominous ending, no? I'm really looking forward to write some more. If anyone has any brilliant ideas, let me know and I will be _delighted_ to use them (maybe). Thanks again, and, again, please review!**


	8. The Aftermath

**A.N: Wow, was this a long chapter! But did I ever have a blast writing it. Sorry it's been so long, but school's almost over, so finals and yeah. But here you go. I hope you appreciate all my hard work. Comment with your favorite line or something, so I know what my readers are enjoying. Much love to you faithful people!**

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The next morning, Harry woke up to find Ron's bed empty. He dressed quickly and hurried down to the common room, wondering why his friend had gone so completely out of character and gotten up early. When he reached the common room, he found Ron pacing the floor in front of the stairway to the girl's dorms. Feeling that this could mean nothing good, he was about to step out and call attention to himself when, sure enough, Hermione came down the staircase, carrying a large bookbag. At last, he understood. Hermione was a well-known early riser. He stepped back in the shadow of the stairs and watched.

Ron looked up and saw Hermione at the exact moment she saw him. Both stopped in their tracks.

"Good morning, Hermione," said Ron cautiously. Hermione watched him for a moment, then continued on down the stairs. She dropped her bag on a table and pulled out a large Ancient Runes book, which she promptly buried her nose in. Ron faltered, then took a seat across from her. Without acknowledging his presence, she swiveled on her seat to put as much of her back to him as possible without falling off her chair.

Ron sighed, then said, "Look, Hermione. I know you can hear me, and I just want you to know that I'm sorry for whatever you think I did."

Harry winced. This was going to go badly.

"I know that I'm supposed to let you do whatever you want because I'm your boyfriend...or at least I hope I am," he added quietly, "but I just don't think you should be defending that idiot Malfoy. I'm jealous, ok? I know he likes you, and I don't want him to steal you away. Because you belong to me, you know. Not him. If I have anything to say about it, _never _him."

Hermione slammed her book down on the table. "I _belong_ to you, Ron Weasley? I _belong _to you? For your information, I am a person who can think for herself. I can make decisions for myself, _especially _about who my friends are. And lately I've been wondering about some of my friends. I accept that you're sorry for making me angry with you," she said coldly, "but until you can treat me like a person and be nice to Malfoy, you can consider us through." With that, she stood up and headed for the door.

Ron stood up too, and grabbed her arm. "Hermione, wait. Please!" She shook him off angrily. "Hermione. Just listen to me! I messed up, ok? But maybe some people aren't meant to be friends. Malfoy's been a jerk from the first day we met, remember? And I know what you want matters, but what I want matters, too, you know!"

She whirled around and yelled, "Ron, you're supposed to be a good person! You're a Gryffindor, he's a Slytherin! But what you did was cruel, Ron, and mean. Nobody deserves that kind of treatment, not even him. All he wants is to be your friend, but no! You have to duel with him, and make him look like a fool in front of the entire school." She jabbed a finger in his chest. "You were the jerk this time, not him! He doesn't deserve this! So leave him alone, alright? And leave me alone, too!"

The two stood face to face, glaring at each other. Hermione's face was turning white, Ron's ears were glowing red. After several minutes, Ron threw up his hands and turned away.

"Fine," he said, his back to Hermione. "Fine. I can't make you change your mind, just like you can't make me change my mind about Malfoy. So I guess, this is it. I won't bother you anymore," he said quietly. "You can go do whatever you want, with whoever you want. Just..." Apparently unable to find words, Ron simply walked out of the common room. Hermione watching him go, seemed to deflate. She reached out a hand and, for a moment, Harry thought she was going to call him back, but her hand dropped limply to her side. A single tear trickled down her cheek.

Harry stepped out of the stairway. "Hermione...?" he said quietly. She turned and flung herself on his neck, sobbing in earnest now. He patted her on the back and made soothing noises as she cried herself out. Finally, he said, "Look, Hermione. I don't mean to be insensitive, but people are going to be coming down here any minute. So why don't you go back upstairs and get cleaned up, and I'll meet you at breakfast. Ok?"

Hermione nodded and mutely walked back up to her dormitory. Harry sighed as he watched her go, knowing he had a long day ahead of him.

* * *

Hermione never came down to breakfast. Ron sat at the end of the Gryffindor table nearest to the door, glowering at his eggs. Harry had filled Ginny in on what he had seen, and both were very carefully avoiding mentioning Hermione's name at all. Harry was about to suggest that they all go up and get their books when Amycus swept over to their table and clapped Ron on the back.

"Mr. Weasley!" he exclaimed. "Excellent job yesterday. Just a bit more focus and you'd have had him. Keep up the good work."

Ron smiled feebly up at him. Amycus patted him once more on the shoulder, then walked up towards the staff table. Ron sank even lower on the bench. Harry and Ginny exchanged looks. Ron was clearly feeling very guilty about the events of the past day, but both knew that his pride would not allow him to say anything. They knew they would have to tread carefully, or they would push the two further apart.

Harry opened his mouth to say something consoling, but Ron cut him off. "Listen, Harry. I know. I know you heard everything, and you can't possibly kick me any harder than I'm kicking myself, alright? Please just let me deal with this. I'll fix it." With that, he abandoned his breakfast and hurried towards the door.

Hermione came through the door just as he reached it, her eyes red from crying. Harry started to get up, ready to interfere, but Ron merely stepped aside and let her pass, giving her plenty of space. She walked past with her head down. Both avoided the other's eyes. Hermione came and sat down by Harry and Ginny.

"Good morning, everyone," she said, falsely cheerful. "How is your morning going?" Harry looked at her sharply. Ginny went over and put an arm around her shoulders. "Is everything alright, Hermione?" she asked quietly. Hermione smiled brightly at her, but both Ginny and Harry could tell that it was forced. "Fine?" she said, almost hysterically. "Why wouldn't I be fine? I just broke up with my boyfriend and we can't even look at each other any more. Oh yes, everything's wonderful!" Her voice had gotten progressively higher and louder, ending in almost a shriek.

"Hermione?" came a voice from behind them. Hermione turned around quickly. Draco Malfoy stood quietly near the door. Hermione blushed beet red. Harry knew she was wondering how long he had been standing there. "May I have a word?"

Hermione looked back at her friends pleadingly, as if begging for a way out, but they could only shrug and watch helplessly as Draco took her arm and gently but firmly towed her out of the Great Hall. Harry and Ginny waited a few moments, then followed as quietly as they could.

Draco and Hermione turned into an unused classroom and shut the door. Ginny grinned and pulled out two of Fred and George's Extendable Ears. Harry kissed her quickly on the cheek, then they both inserted one end of the long, flesh-colored strings into their ears. The other ends wriggled their way under the door and they could suddenly hear all that was said.

"...heard about your recent...disagreement...with Weasley," Malfoy was saying. When Hermione responded her voice was bitter. "I imagine most everyone did." They could almost hear the smile in Malfoy's voice as he said, "Perhaps. But I just wanted to say that I'm deeply sorry about it and I really regret any role I might have had. I wouldn't want to do anything that would make you unhappy, believe me."

There was a pause, then Hermione said quietly, "This is really the last thing I need right now, but thank you for the apology. It's really not your fault, though. You didn't make Ron act like a total idiot. You were just his tool."

Malfoy's voice was suddenly hard. "You are exactly right, Hermione. I was just a tool, and I am never going to let it happen again. Especially not with him."

Hermione sighed. "Why can't the two of you just get along? What is it that makes you be so mean to each other? You're both purebloods, you're the same age, we've done so much together-"

"We both have feelings for you," said Malfoy softly. Silence. At last Hermione, crying, said, "I can't. Not yet. Maybe not ever, but please...it's all just happened so fast, and I hardly know what to do anymore." A note of pleading entered into her voice as she added, "Please, Draco. Try to understand. I just need some time. That's all."

Malfoy took a deep breath. "Whatever you need, Hermione. Just ask." Harry and Ginny heard footsteps and sprang away from the door just in time. Malfoy opened the door and walked down the hall towards the dungeons, where the Slytherin common room was located. They waited a few moments, then slowly peered around the edge of the doorframe. Hermione sat on the floor in the middle of the room, looking utterly lost. Tears were running slowly down her cheeks. Harry took Ginny's hand and they left Hermione to her sadness.

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**Feels alert! I hope so, anyway. Let me know what you think, please and thank you!**


	9. To Catch A Chang

"Harry, do you have any more salamander blood?:

Harry looked up from stirring his Wakefulness Draught. "No, Hermione," he said, "but I bet Ron does. Why don't you ask him?"

It had been nearly a week, and Hermione and Ron were doing their best not to speak to each other. Every so often, old habits would kick in, but they were doing a creditable job. Harry was doing his best to exploit every one of their slip-ups, but thus far had had little success. This time would be no different. Hermione merely blinked at him, then turned to ask Seamus if she could borrow some. Harry saw Ron stiffen, but he never looked up from crushing his cockroach shells.

Harry sighed. It seemed like this was the straw to break the camel's back-the final thing that split up their friendship. He thought back to their first year, absentmindedly stirring his potion. Ron had thought that Hermione was a terrible know-it-all. Harry smiled slightly. "I did too," he thought to himself. They had only really become friends when he and Ron saved her from the monster in the Shrieking Shack. Bonded by trauma, as it were. If only there were some small crisis he could use to bring them back together...

As if on cue, the door flew open. Ginny stood outside, breathing hard. She beckoned urgently to Ron, who was staring at her with his mouth slightly open. Harry shoved him to his feet. "Go ahead," he said quietly. "I'll cover for you if Slughorn asks." He peered through the multicolored smoke billowing about the room. Professor Slughorn was in deep conversation with Parvati Patil. "He won't miss you," Harry added.

Ron nodded, then slipped over to his sister. She pulled him out of the room and shut the door.

As soon as the door was closed, Hermione leaned over and whispered anxiously, "What's the matter?" Harry merely shrugged. He knew no more than she did.

After several minutes, Ron returned. His ears glowed red. Harry and Hermione traded glances-both knew that that was a sign that something was not right among the Weasley family. Harry was secretly pleased. Here was a chance to mend their broken friendship. He just hoped that whatever was wrong wouldn't be _too _bad. Hermione was already softening a bit, but only time would tell if it would last.

Ron plopped down on his stool. Hermione quickly looked away, but Harry could tell that she was listening hard.

Ron started slowly. "Apparently, Ginny was in the Great Hall reading when Umbridge came in and grabbed Cho Chang. Said she had a couple of questions about her interview, and Ginny said they didn't sound like nice questions. And of course, Cho just went right along. You know how she is-she would never believe anything bad about anyone. I guess Ginny's worried."

"Well, I should think so!" burst out Hermione. Both boys looked at her in surprise. She blushed, but plowed forward. "Harry, didn't you say that Umbridge mentioned 'persuading' us somehow? And Cho has always been a bit of a weak link, secrecy-wise. Anybody can get anything out of her," said Hermione derisively. "All you have to do is compliment her hair."

"Wow, Hermione," scoffed Ron. "When did you become so shallow?"

Hermione recoiled, hurt. "Well, excuse me for breathing, Ron! Just because it's not nice doesn't mean it's not true! She's not perfect, you know."

The two began to argue. Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes. He supposed that fighting was better than ignoring each other, but not by a whole lot.

"Ok, you two," he said wearily. "Fighting won't solve anything. We need to find Cho." Thankfully class was almost over. The trio hurried to pack up and flew out the door and soon as the bell rang.

"Harry," said Hermione quietly. "change the dates on your fake Galleon-we need to have a D.A. meeting right away.

* * *

Less than an hour later, the D.A. was gathered in the Room of Requirement, hushed, anxiously waiting for Harry to explain the sudden meeting. At last, when everyone but Cho had arrived, Harry stood up and cleared his throat.

"Er...Hello, everyone. I suppose you're all wondering why I've called this meeting on such short notice. I know you've probably all got better places to be, but this could be quite urgent, no one's really sure yet. I-yes, Lavender?"

Lavender Brown's hand had just shot up. "It's about Cho, isn't it? I came back from Charms today and I couldn't find her anywhere. We _always_ meet up after _every_ class. If she wasn't there, something's wrong."

"Yes, actually. We think Cho has been...abducted, I guess...by Umbridge," said Harry. "Ginny, would you like to...?"

She smiled at him, then stood up and briefly described what she had seen. Harry then explained what Umbridge had said, and what he suspected.

"...so, I figure that the sooner we find Cho, the better. Any questions?"

"Yeah," said Dean. "How're we going to find her? She could be anywhere in Hogwarts, and you know how big this place is."

"They could have taken her outside that castle, too," added Hermione quietly.

Nods of assent came from around the room, as well as muttered exclamations as people began to realize how big of a task this truly was.

"We'll just have to split up and search as much as we can, as fast as we can. Hermione, why don't you organize people by floor? We'll deal with Hogwarts first." Hermione nodded and began reading off names.

When everyone was assigned to their area, Harry said, "Ok everyone, stagger your groups when you leave-we don't want anyone to get suspicious. Search as long as you can. I'll be here. Come tell me as soon as you find anything. Good luck!"

Kids began to leave. Harry sat down in a big squishy armchair just like his favorite one in the Gryffindor common room and made himself comfortable. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Later-much later-that night, Harry looked up from his Herbology essay and checked his watch. 12:34. He yawned and stretched. They were still waiting for one group. Ron and Neville had been exploring the very lowest level of Hogwarts, which included the dungeons. It was the largest and most complicated of all the floors, which was why they were taking so long.

Hermione was sitting at a small table in the corner, dozing over her Ancient Runes book. Ginny was curled up next to Harry on the pile of pillows the group used for Stunning practice. She had fallen asleep several hours ago, but Harry hadn't had the heart to wake her up and send her to bed. All the other members had gone to bed long since.

At last, Ron staggered through the door and slumped down into a chair. Hermione began to get to her feet, but then sat down and began determinedly ignoring them all. Harry quickly walked over and squatted down next to him. Ginny stirred and rubbed her eyes, then crawled over to them and plopped down on the floor at his feet.

Ron yawned, then said blearily, "Well...we found her." Then his head slipped forward onto his chest and he began to snore.

They could get no more out of him that night.

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**A.N: Haha. I looove cliffhangers. Anyhow, sorry for the delay. I went to summer camp-yay, summer camp!-and I handwrote this entire chapter, which means I spent most of today typing it up. Sigh. Oh well. I will do my best to warn you all if there is going to be another delay like this.**

**Anyhow, a dear friend of mine by the name of Quiet Defiance does a little fact vs. fiction thing at the end of her chapters, and I thought I might try something similar: BOOKS VS STARKID! So here we go.**

**Books:**

**-The whole D.A, Room of Requirement, etc is straight out of there.**

**-The personalities of my characters are based more on the books**

**-Potions class, yadayadayada. Whatever**

**Starkid:**

**-Snape died in their first year, so I'm assuming Slughorn is teaching now, before he got busted for 'collecting young boys'**

**-Dumbledore died around the same time, which I think I said, but I'm not sure. **

**-Harry's dating Ginny. Get over it.**

**I think that's it for now. Also, a random question for y'all, and if you can explain this PLEASE do: Why are the Muggleborns so afraid to say 'Voldemort' and Harry's not? They were raised in the same environment he was-they didn't know about him until they came to Hogwarts, right? I dunno. Someone help me please.**

**Anywhooso, please review and vote in my poll as to which of my three stories should get the most of my attention. If you didn't know I had other stories, I would be thrilled if you would go check them out (they're super short, it won't kill you) but you can only vote once, so please do it! Thanks bunches!**

**-Forever the Optimist**


	10. Ideas

When Ron woke up the next morning, he opened his eyes to find Harry, Seamus, Neville, and Dean crowded around his bed, inches away from his face. He yelled and scrambled back, much to the amusement of the others.

"What the-What are you all doing here?"

Seamus, barely suppressing a laugh, said, "Well, we just couldn't wait for you to get up any longer. We wanted to hear about your little adventure last night."

Ron sighed and ran a hand through his hair, giving it an interesting wind-blown look. "Right now?"

"Right now," said Harry firmly. "We let you sleep before."

Ron looked longingly toward the stairwell. "Can't I at least have some breakfast first?" he asked plaintively.

"No!"chorused all the boys. He sighed again.

"Oh alright. So Neville and I were exploring the dungeons and we got separated, which I suppose Neville told you?" They nodded.

Neville hung his head. "I'm sorry! I saw Professor Snape coming out of one of the dungeons and I just panicked and ran for it! And I was going to come and find you again, b-but I lost my way and-"

"Don't worry about it, Neville," said Harry quietly. "Cho's been found, and that's what matters. Go on, Ron."

"Right. So, I ran for it too, and I went down the staircase to the lowest level, you know? Only, the staircase turned while I was going down, and it led to this little hallway I never noticed before. I think it usually pretends to be a wall or something," he mused. Harry cleared his throat loudly.

"Anyhow...?" he said meaningfully. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Anyhow, I lit my wand and went down the hallway. At first, I didn't think I was going to find anything-it just looked like more dungeons, you know? It was really dusty, too. Looked like nobody had been down there in a long time. I was just about to turn around when I peeked into one of the dungeons, and..." he paused theatrically.

"What?" they cried. Neville leaned in so far that he tripped over Ron's trunk and crashed to the floor. "I'm alright, go ahead," he said weakly from the floor. As Dean and Seamus helped him up, Ron said quietly, "and there she was. Lying there on the floor. Sleeping peacefully. No chains, nothing. But when I try to go in, something shocked me and threw me back. Singed my clothes and everything. I think that must have set off an alarm, too, because I heard footsteps coming right after that. So I ran all the way back up to the seventh floor to tell you."

"Blimey!" said Seamus, awed. "No wonder you were so tired!"

"You think?" Ron rolled his eyes. "Some people," he muttered.

"Something shocked you?" asked Dean. "Like a force field?"

"That could be it. A little unusual, but that could be it. I sure wouldn't put it past Umbridge," said Harry, getting excited.

Neville raised his hand. "Umm...Harry...what's a force field?"

"Well, it's a Muggle thing. You run electricity across an area, and then if you touch it, you get shocked, just like that." Dean snapped his fingers.

Neville still had his hand in the air. "But Harry...I thought that Muggle things can't work in Hogwarts-too much magic or something...?"

"'Course not, Neville, that's..." Seamus started to say. "Blimey...he's right, in'ne? Neville-you did somethin' right! Way to go, mate!"

"Yes, well done, Neville," said Dean, a little cross that his idea had come to nothing. "Well, if you're so smart, what do _you_ think we ought to do?"

Neville gulped. "Well," he said slowly, looking around at the faces staring at him. "Well, I-I think we should...er..._ask Hermione!"_

The boys all stared at each other. "Neville..." said Ron in disbelief. "You're having quite the day, aren't you?"

Harry stood up so fast that he hit his head on the top on Ron's fourposter. "Let's go!"

The boys all charged for the spiral staircase-all except Ron, who was still in his pajamas. "Hey, guys-wait! Wait up!" Seeing that no one was paying him even the slightest attention, Ron gave up and went back to bed.

* * *

**A.N: Hello, all! Due to some interesting coincidence, I have had this written for some time but neglected to post it...not sure how that happened. I do apologize for the shortness and the lateness of this chapter. Now that school's starting, I should have more time to do this, as backwards as that sounds. As for length...I'll try to make it up to you in the next chapter. Summer's been crazy. But anyway, I'd like to thank anyone who's read this far-you don't know what it means to me. **

**Also, if anyone has a brilliant and better idea for a title for this, I'm really not fond of the one I have right now. I definitely welcome all suggestions, so if you've got something incredible, please help me out!**

**I've kind of given up on my poll, but if you want to go vote, I would be very happy. Thanks again for reading, and please review!**


	11. Information

The other boys were silent. They were standing at the base of the staircase that led to the girls dormitories. Hermione had yet to be seen around the common room, and they could only assume she hadn't come down yet, as it seemed very unlikely that she would go to breakfast without them.

"Fine, then," said Harry, with an exasperated sigh. "I guess I'll go." He set off up the stairs.

He was on the sixth stair when it happened. They heard a loud, klaxon-like alarm, and suddenly the stairs underneath Harry's feet smoothed out into a long, slippery slide. Harry felt his glasses fly off his face as he toppled forward, landing hard on his hands and knees and sliding to the floor in an undignified heap.

"Blimey, Harry!" said Seamus, amused. "I never knew they did that! Think that happens with the boys too?"

"Actually, if you'd ever bothered to read _Hogwarts, A History_, you would know that," came Hermione's familiar voice. Harry looked up, only to remember that his glasses were missing. When he found them at last, he put them on, only to realize they were broken. As he pulled out his wand, her heard Hermione say, "Well, it's a bit old-fashioned, but the founders decided that girls are mort trustworthy than boys, so no, Seamus. Are you alright, Harry?"

Glasses newly repaired, Harry stood up with a groan, and said, "Yeah, fine. A bit bruised, but that's all."

"Good," she said briskly. Harry could see that she must have just come downstairs, because she was picking up her scattered books. "Now why on earth were you trying to get into the girl's dormitories?"

"We wanted to find you," piped Neville. "We wanted to know what you know about magical barriers."

Hermione stared at him for a moment, then looked at Harry. "Magical barriers?" Harry nodded. She thought for a moment. All the boys waited excitedly. Finally, she looked up and, looking very confused, asked, "Why?"

They stared at her in disbelief. "Because of Cho!" said Seamus loudly. "Can't just leave 'er in some ruddy cell, can we?"

He was instantly shushed. Dean smacked him on the head and hissed, "Keep it down, can't you?"

"So I'm assuming you found her, then?" asked Hermione with a half-amused, half-quizzical smile.

"Oh yes-" "Didn't we tell you-" "Well, sure, she's-" The voices of the many boys piled over each other, resulting in only a loud, confused babble. Hermione cut them off sharply with a quick jerk of her hand.

"Ok, enough!" she said over the chorus. Silence fell. "Harry," she said, pulling him to the front of the group. "Tell me everything."

"Ok then," said Harry, quite entertained by the proceedings. "Ron was in the dungeon..." He explained as quickly as he could what Ron had discovered the night before. "So basically," he said at last, "Cho's trapped in a dungeon by some invisible barrier, and we wanted to know if you had any idea what it might be."

Hermione nodded slowly, deep in thought. "No, but I might know someone that does...I'll meet you all at breakfast, ok?" She asked abruptly. "I want to look up a few things first." Without waiting for an answer, she turned and walked off. The boys watched her clamber through the portrait hole and disappear from sight, thoroughly bemused.

There was a pause, then Dean said slowly, "Is she _always _like that?"

Harry fought down a mad desire to laugh. "Pretty much." Chuckling a bit, he led the group through the portrait hole and down to the Great Hall.

* * *

Harry was midway through his eggs when Ron arrived. His hair was a mess and he looked as if he had just rolled out of bed. Harry slid down and started loading bacon onto a plate for him. Ron plopped down on the bench, rubbing his eyes. "What'd I miss?" he asked blearily.

"Hermione's gone to get someone who might know something," Harry said, now pouring Ron some pumpkin juice.

"Really?" Ron asked, sitting up a little straighter. 'Who?"

"No idea," said Harry with a shrug.

Ron sighed. "And you haven't seen her yet?"

"Nope."

"And she didn't say who it was?"

"Course not," said Harry with a grin. "You know how she is."

Ron sighed again. He knew as well as Harry did that once Hermione got an idea, there was no getting anything out of her until she was ready to share.

"I suppose we'll just have to wait, then," Ron said, resigned. "After all, how long can she be?"

* * *

Harry and Ron had almost finished breakfast by the time Hermione returned. "Well?" Ron asked quickly as she reached the Gryffindor table. "Where's this mystery person?"

"Harry, Ron..." For some reason, Hermione looked apprehensive. "You have to promise not to blow up." Her words were addressed to both of them, but her eyes were on Ron. Harry promised quickly. He had a sneaking suspicion as to who this informer might be, and, if he was right, Hermione was smart to ask for a promise.

Ron stared at her suspiciously. "Is there I reason I would blow up?" he asked slowly. Harry elbowed him in the ribs and hissed, "Remember-_what she wants matters." _

Rubbing his ribs resentfully, Ron took a deep breath, and said "Alright. Fine. I promise. Now tell us."

Still looking nervous, Hermione beckoned for them to follow her and led them out of the Great Hall. The trio wound their way through hallways and up and down staircases until they reached...

"Really?" asked Harry. They stood outside of a large wooden door with water stains along the bottom and an 'Out of Order' sign nailed to the door. "Moaning Myrtle's bathroom?"

Hermione blushed and looked at the ground. "I didn't want to be overheard." Ron opened his mouth to make a comment, but at Harry's prod, he contented himself with shaking his head disbelievingly. Hermione walked over to the door and started to open it, but turned around. "Just remember, you promised," she said quietly. Then she pushed the door open and stood aside to let them enter.

Squinting in the bright light, it took the boys a few moments to find the small figure standing in the corner.

"Malfoy?!"

Ron's reaction was immediate and predictable. He started towards him, anger in every bit of his body. Harry lunged forward and seized the back of Ron's robes, effectively cutting off his air supply. "Excuse us for a moment," he said firmly to the others, then towed the spluttering Ron out into the hallway. He shoved him out the door and slipped out after him, standing in front of it to prevent Ron from heading right back in.

"Ron. You promised."

Ron already seemed to be regretting his hasty actions. "I know...I know..." He was breathing hard. "But when I think of him talking to her...She must talk to him a lot, if she thought of him for help...and how to I know that talking's all she's doing? She-"

"Ron." Harry broke in. "This is Hermione. She's your girlfriend. Your girlfriend. Not Malfoy's. She wouldn't go around behind your back with someone you hate. She just wants us all to be friends. That's all. Ok?"

Ron took a deep breath. His hands slowly unclenched and he slumped against the wall, covering his face with his hands. "I know. I know she wouldn't. He just makes me so mad."

"I know he does. But you've got to control yourself. You've got to show her you can change."

Ron looked at him in utter despair. "How?" he asked desperately. "I try and try but everything I do just makes it worse and I just don't know what to do anymore!"

"You're going to march in there and have a nice, civil conversation, and we're going to find a way to get Cho back and beat out Umbridge. You can. Ok?"

Ron straightened up and nodded. "Ok. Ok. I'll give it a try. I really will. But if he tries to make a move on her..." he shook his head threateningly. With an encouraging smile and a slap on the back, the Harry pushed open the door and the two boys went back into the bathroom.

* * *

**A.N: Hello, my dears. My sincere apologies for the super-long wait. Remember how I said I would have more time once school started? Yeah. I totally lied to you. Sorry. I am trying to do better. Hopefully I actually will. But anyway. I hope you enjoy this and it's not too dramatic or something. I don't know. But if you've got any opinions as to how I'm doing or where I should go from here, I'm open to just about anything. As always, please review. I'm delighted to see how many people are still reading along. My views are going up exponentially. Yay! Hugs and butterfly kisses to you all!**

**-Forever the Optimist**


	12. Meeting with Malfoy

When Ron and Harry reentered the bathroom, they found Hermione and Draco in the midst of a whispered conversation. Harry only caught Draco's last "If he-" before they broke off, looking guilty. Harry gripped Ron's arm, afraid of another outburst, but Ron merely shook him off.

"Hello, Malfoy," said Ron, with a forced politeness. "I hear you might be able to help us."

Draco looked surprised at this unexpected civility, but recovered his poise quickly. "I may," he said, with a quick glance at Hermione, who was standing slightly between the two boys, wringing her hands and looking from one to the other. Harry walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She clasped his hand and gave him a grateful smile.

Ron cleared his throat, looking slightly awkward. "Well...er...what ideas have you got?"

Hermione jumped in. "I've been talking to Draco some recently," she said with a guilty look at Ron, who's expression was suddenly wooden. "and he's been telling me some about his home and his family. Apparently, his family has a very stringent security system-"

"That I believe," muttered Harry. He could only imagine what dark secrets the Malfoys were hiding in their manor. He subsided at Hermione's glare.

_"Anyway,_" she said pointedly, "he thinks that the barrier you've described sounds like it could be something similar to the guard he has on his home."

"You've got some nasty stinging thing on your _house?" _asked Ron incredulously.

"Yes, actually," said Draco calmly. "My father is a firm believer in home security, however possible." Harry thought he could detect a hint of disgust in his voice, although whether for Ron or for his father, Harry couldn't tell.

Ron was obviously fighting down another remark. At last he said, "Alright then. So I assume you know how to get through it?"

"Of course," Malfoy said, with a bit of a sneer. Hermione glanced quickly at him. He met her eyes, then looked quickly away. Harry chuckled internally. It seemed as if Ron wasn't the only one not thrilled about this meeting. Malfoy continued, any disdain gone.

"The barriers are cued to individual people. They look for a person's specific essence, the very thing that makes them them. This can be one of two things: that person...or an object that accurately and fully represents their entire being."

Draco paused and looked at each of his audience in turn. At last, Hermione spoke.

"So...in order to get by this, we need either the person in question-who we can probably assume is Umbridge-or an object that completely represents her?" Draco nodded.

Ron shook his head in disbelief. "This is mental. Umbridge? What on earth represents her?"

"One of those nasty kitten plates she's got?" suggested Harry, only half-joking.

"Her wand, maybe?" Hermione said thoughtfully. "The wand chooses the wizard, after all, and the bond between a wizard and his wand is one of the most unexplored branches of magic ever."

Draco stood there, watching the group swapping suggestions, before clearing his throat quietly. Only Harry heard him. Deciding that it was probably wiser not to interrupt Ron and Hermione's only real conversation in days, Harry pulled Draco aside.

"Something the matter?" he asked quietly. Draco looked a bit surprised, but cleared his throat again and replied, somewhat nervously, "Do you mind explaining to me what this is all about?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Hermione didn't say?" he asked, surprised. Draco shook his head.

"Not a word," he said. "Just that she needed my help identifying a magical barrier. I understand that you may not trust me-" Harry had been eyeing the Inquisitorial Squad pin on Draco's robes "-but I hope you know that I would _never _betray Hermione's trust. Ever."

Harry nodded slowly, mulling over what he had said. He knew that this moment would decide their relations with Draco in the future-did they let him in on the secret? On one hand, he was a Slytherin, the house that had long feuded with Gryffindor. He was also a member of the Inquisitorial Squad, which, even though Umbridge was no longer at Hogwarts, still used and abused the power of their pin to dig up and sell dirty secrets.

On the other hand, something about Draco had changed. He was almost unrecognizable when compared to his former, younger self. Harry also suspected that Draco was under a lot of pressure from his father, a man Harry knew was one of Voldemort's chief lieutenants, but also guessed that he didn't entirely agree with a lot of his father's ideas. He knew that he would never truly like Malfoy, but he thought he could trust him. After all, there were currently no Slytherin D.A. members, and Draco could be a useful link.

_I don't know how I'm going to explain this to Ron, _he thought with a sigh.

"Alright, Malfoy," Harry said at last. "I'll explain, but I have to have your solemn word that you won't discuss this with anyone unless one of us gives you permission. Okay?"

"Of course," said Malfoy instantly. "I'll even swear an Unbreakable Vow, if you like."

Harry nodded. He had no idea what an Unbreakable Vow was, but it sounded serious, and he wasn't about to ask Malfoy. "Er...yes. Let me go and, uh...see if that's alright with them." He hurried over to his two friends.

They were still swapping ideas, hardly even listening to each other. "-or that ugly pink cardigan she wears all the time-" Ron was saying, as Hermione mused aloud as to what her Patronus might be: " They're representations of your soul, you know, so that might give us an idea-oh, Harry, there you are," she said, noticing him at last. "What's Draco been saying?"

"Mind if we step out for a minute?" Harry asked quietly. Ron and Hermione exchanged surprised glances, but followed Harry into the hall without a word. When the door had shut behind them, Ron turned around and said, "What's going on, mate?"

"He wants to know what all this is about and offered to make an Unbreakable Vow to keep it mum, and I didn't know what that was, so I thought..." Harry fell silent at the looks on his friends' faces. He found a mixture of awe and respect in each, though to differing degrees. Harry suddenly realized, somewhat uncomfortably, that here was yet another thing that had far greater value in the wizarding world than he could guessed. "I don't suppose either of you could tell me what that is?" he finished.

"Well, it's this vow, and you can't break it-"said Ron awkwardly.

"I could have guessed that much," said Harry, with a touch of exasperation, "but what happens if you break it?"

"You die," said Hermione simply. "It's the ultimate bond of trust and loyalty. If Draco is really willing to make an Unbreakable Vow..."

"This must really mean a lot to him," Harry said quietly. "Just think. If his father or Voldemort-oh, grow up, would you?" said Harry irritatedly, for both Ron and Hermione had flinched at the use of the name. "If they find out that he's got information on a secret Defense Against the Dark Arts group, who knows what they might do to him."

Ron was staring at Hermione. Everyone present knew the real reason as to Draco's willingness to betray his family. Hermione blushed. Finally Harry said, "So should he do it?"

"Yes," said instantly. "It'a the only way for us to know if he's truly on our side. Poisonous toadstools don't change their spots," he added savagely.

"I agree," said Hermione, not looking at Ron. "If he starts coming to D.A. meetings, an Unbreakable Vow should be more than enough to convince the others to trust him."

"So we're agreed, then?" Harry asked, looking at each of their faces in turn. They nodded. Without further ado, Harry led the way back into the bathroom.

* * *

**A.N: Hello, my lovelies! Forever the Optimist here with another chapter for your enjoyment. No school for me today, so if I get enough nice reviews I might have another update ready for you all tomorrow...I do apologize for ending this one the way I did, but there wasn't going to be another good stopping point any time soon, and this is getting a bit long already. So here you go. Thank you so much to those who reviewed my last chapter, your input means so much. Speaking of input, I'd love to hear what you think Umbridge's representation is going to be. I am terribly curious. Also, if anyone has a brilliant idea for the title of this story, I'd love to hear it. I'm not terribly fond of the one I've got. **

**I think that's everything for now, so thanks for reading! Remember, happy authors write faster!**

**-Forever the Optimist**


	13. The Unbreakable Vow

As soon as the trio walked through the door, Malfoy looked up expectantly. Harry nodded tersely.

"We'd like you to do it." Malfoy nodded in return.

"Very well," he said calmly, though a little paler than usual. "I assume I'll be swearing to you, Potter?"

Harry, caught off-guard, looked back at his friends for confirmation. Hermione nodded encouragingly, while Ron had a look on his face that clearly said 'Better you than me.'

"Yes," said Harry firmly, hoping he knew what he was getting himself into. "Er...what do I need to do?"

"Just kneel down in front of me and take my right hand in yours," Draco said, lowering himself so he was kneeling on the tile floor. Harry knelt down in front of him and grasped the proffered hand. It was ice cold.

"Ok," Harry said, still unsure. "Now what?"

"Now," said Draco intently, "we need a Bonder." His eyes were fixed on Hermione.

"A...a what?" asked Harry, completely at a loss.

"The Bonder is the one who actually performs the spell and oversees the vows," recited Hermione, a bit nervous. "Professor Flitwick's mentioned it at least twice in class, Harry you ought to know by now. I've read all about the theory, but I don't know if...I've never actually done it, of course...and so many things can go wrong..."

"I have complete faith in you," said Ron encouragingly, hugging her around the shoulders. Harry gave him a surreptitious thumbs-up behind his back. Ron grinned. Harry felt Draco stiffen in his. Hermione rewarded him with only a tentative smile, but she looked more confident as she moved to stand between the two kneeling boys.

"Well...alright, then, Harry," she said, pulling out her wand and placing the tip on their linked hands. "Tell him what you want him to swear. And be formal."

"Er...alright, then," said Harry. His knees were starting to feel sore on the hard floor and he really just wanted to get the whole mess over with. He thought back to his History of Magic lessons.

"Do you, Draco Malfoy, solemnly swear to never reveal any piece of information given to you concerning Dumbledore's Army?" A flicker of confusion shot across Malfoy's face. Harry realized belatedly that he had never actually told Malfoy what the D.A. was, but Malfoy quickly said, "I swear."

A thin tendril of brilliant fire snaked out of the end of Hermione's wand and wrapped itself around Harry and Draco's joined hands. Harry shied away from the flames, but he felt no heat, merely a pleasant tickling sensation.

"Do you promise to always keep all information about Dumbledore's Army secret and in no way reveal let on to the Ministry that we have formed such a group?" Again, with no hesitation, Malfoy said "I swear."

A second flame intertwined with the first, weaving a fine red chain.

"And do you swear that, no matter the circumstances, you will ally yourself with us and do all in your power to promote our cause?"

Harry stared intently into Draco's eyes. He knew this would be the real test: at this point, words meant nothing. In order for them to trust Malfoy completely, they had to be sure he would follow them fully. He saw Malfoy's eyes flicker over to Hermione, then come back to lock with his. Harry felt that those pale eyes were staring into his very soul, examining him. At last, Malfoy drew a deep breath, then whispered, "I swear."

A third line of fire wove around the first two, forming a thick glowing snake that twined and twirled around the boys' hands. The red light reflected off the pale white tiles and danced across their faces. Then, all at once, there was a great flash of light, a swearing pain, and the fire was gone.

Harry fell back, rubbing his hand. The pain had gone as quickly as it had come, but he could still feel the aftereffects. Malfoy, too, was shaking out his hands. Harry stood up, groaning at the pain in his knees. He faced Malfoy, whose face was as closed and as haughty as ever. Harry shook his head.

"Well, even if we don't like you, at least we know we can trust you."

Ron laughed. Malfoy didn't smile, but a pink tinge touched his pale cheeks. "Funny," he said. "Really witty. Now. You wanted my help? You're going to have to give me some more information first."

"Yes," said Harry, reflecting that he seemed to be giving an awful lot of explanations recently. "Well, it's a long story..."

* * *

Harry waited nervously in the Room of Requirement as the last of the D.A. trickled in. He had asked Malfoy to wait nearby-he would send Hermione for him once they were ready. When at last everyone had taken their seats, Harry cleared his throat. All chatter died away instantly.

"Hello, again, everybody." He waited for the chorus of hellos to fade, smiling slightly. As soon as everyone was quiet, Harry continued.

"As you may or may not have heard, Cho has been found. She's currently locked in a hidden dungeon protected by some sort of magical barrier. We don't know what it is or how to get through it yet," said Harry in answer to the unspoken questions in everyone's eyes.

"Yet?" asked Fred loudly.

"Well," said Harry, nervous again, "we may have someone who can help. Hermione, if you would." She nodded and slipped out of the room. "Now, promise you won't get upset," he said to the room at large. "We can trust him." People were firing questions at him, but he answered none of them, merely signaled for them to wait.

When at last Hermione returned with Malfoy, the room exploded. People were screaming, threatening, the twins were looking as though they might punch Malfoy. Luna simply stared. "Everybody calm down," said Harry loudly. No one heard. _A whistle, _he thought desperately, _I need a whistle._ He looked around and spotted one lying on a table nearby. He snatched it up and blew it, hard. Everyone froze. "Thank you," he said calmly into the sudden silence. "Now. Before you all protest any further, I'd like to say a few things. First: Malfoy has sworn an Unbreakable Vow not to tell anything about us. So trustworthiness is not an issue. Understand?"

Muttered assent spread throughout the room. "Second: we are doing our best to fight anything that would drive us apart, including blood prejudices, the Ministry, and Voldemort." He waited for the shrieks and starts to pass. Harry noticed that Malfoy hadn't flinched. He was merely staring at the ground with a blank look on his face, uncharacteristically humble.

"We-that is, Ron, Hermione, and I-believe that Malfoy can help us with this. And with freeing Cho. Any questions?"

There were none. The various members of the D.A. were watching Malfoy with varying stages of dislike etched on their faces. Harry sighed. He knew this move was going to be an unpopular one, but it had to be done. They had to be united if they were ever going to do anything.

"Ron, if you could tell us again what you saw last night."

Ron quickly described the barrier, then Malfoy explained what he knew. There was silence for a few moments as everyone digested all that they'd heard. At last, Neville raised his hand. When Harry called on him, he asked quietly, "Does the barrier have to be keyed to Umbridge? Wouldn't there be other people as well? She can't do all of this alone, surely. She's not even here very often now that she's Minister of Magic."

Harry was dumbfounded. Somehow he had automatically assumed Umbridge would be behind everything. Torturing students really seemed like her style. He clenched his fist and saw his scars stand out white on the back of his hand: _I must not tell lies. Yes,_ Harry thought. _Torturing students is _definitely _her style._ But even so, it seemed unlikely that she would come all the way from the Ministry, a place with much more scope for nastiness, just to torture one girl.

"The Carrows," said Luna dreamily. Harry started. He hadn't thought she was paying attention. "I'm sure that's who's doing it," she continued. "Haven't you noticed how many meals they've been missing?" Harry had to admit that he hadn't. "So either they've swallowed a Caratax, or they're doing something else. And what else could they be doing?"

"What's a Caratax?" asked Seamus.

"Oh, it's a little creature that likes to impersonate food, and when you swallow it, it lives in your belly and makes you feel full," explained Luna. "My aunt reckons she swallowed one once. She didn't eat for days. Finally the Healers had to reach in and-"

"The Carrows certainly are mean enough," interrupted Hermione hastily. "Yes, I'm almost certain she's right."

The room erupted in discussion. Harry let it continue for a moment, then blew his whistle again. As they quieted, Harry pocketed it-a whistle really was a useful thing to have around. At last, he said, "Ok. So assume Luna's right. How are we going to get them down there?"

"Not just that," said Malfoy quietly. "They have to get Cho out as well."

Ron flared up. "Fine," he said loudly-rather more so than the occasion warranted, in Harry's opinion. "Fine, Malfoy. What'd you think we should do?"

"Oh, it's simple, really," said Malfoy with an odd little smile. "All it would take is one simple spell."

"And what's that?" asked George, clearly skeptical. Murmurs of agreement rose around the room.

Malfoy waited a beat, then said, "The Imperius Curse."

* * *

**A.N: Hello! First off, let me offer my most sincere apologies about the delay. I have been thoroughly busy and unmotivated (yes, I'll admit it). I'll admit to that I can't give you any indication of when the next chapter will be up because I just don't know. Although lovely reviews do make me ever so much more willing to write...**

**Anyway, I would just like to be clear: you may recognize sections of this chapter from J.K. Rowling's novels. That's because they are from J.K. Rowling's novels. I did my very best to stay as close to her descriptions as possible (although I did have to make up the end of the Unbreakable Vow. I hope it seemed plausible?) But I would just like to say again that I claim absolutely no rights.**

**With that being said, I do hope all of you liked it. I'd love to hear what you think. Maybe you could leave me your favorite moments? Also, I would again like to extend my plea for new title ideas. I just am not terribly fond of the one I've got-I just needed one quickly, and that's what I came up with. So if you've got a better idea, anything at all, PLEASE tell me!**

**Thanks so much for reading, and for reviewing if you do. You sure ought to know my now that your reviews mean the world to me. You are my inspiration.**

**Much love!**

**-Forever the Optimist **


	14. Controlling Carrows

The bell rang. All around Harry, Gryffindor and Slytherin Defense Against the Dark Arts students were picking themselves up off the floor, apologizing to their friends, and quietly healing small bruises. Harry gritted his teeth. He looked across the dimly lit dungeon and caught Draco Malfoy's eye. Malfoy raised one eyebrow, the unspoken question clear.

_Today?_

Harry nodded tersely. Quickly, Harry checked his pockets again. Marauder's Map, wand, Peruvian Instant Darkness powder - everything was in place. He nudged Hermione and Ron and gave them a meaningful glance. Both understood instantly. Hermione gave his hand a quick squeeze, Ron gripped his shoulder, then the pair hurriedly packed up their things and rushed out, tugging others along with them. It had been agreed that the less witnesses, the better - anyone even rumored to be connected with what was coming would no doubt suffer severe consequences.

After one last glance at the Carrows, Harry knocked over his carefully packed bookbag. Textbooks, quills, and ink bottles spilled everywhere. Thankfully, no one offered to help. Harry didn't blame them - no one wanted to remain in the same room as that poisonous pair of siblings for long. Gathering up as much as he could, Harry glanced up to see the room was now empty except for the Carrows, himself, and Malfoy, who looked to be one his way out. Harry coughed twice.

Without warning, Malfoy spun around, whipped out his wand, pointed it at Amycus, and screamed "_Imperio!" _In the same moment, Harry stood straight up and shot the same curse at Alecto. Suddenly, he could see her mind - feel it. It was as though some part of his consciousness had split off to do battle. And a battle it was - trying to gain control of Alecto's mind felt like trying to wrestle an eel. Clearly, she had been well trained. At last, he managed to pin her down.

_You obey me now,_ he told her, and felt her grudging agreement. The part of his mind that was still his own looked across at Malfoy, who had clearly also gained control.

"Took you long enough, Potter," he said with his trademark sneer. Harry saw, to his chagrin, that Amycus did indeed seem to be much more subdued than Alecto. Amycus appeared completely at ease and relaxed, while Alecto still had a rather unpleasant scowl on her face, something Malfoy had clearly noticed as well. "Have some trouble?"

"Nothing major," said Harry calmly. He was a bit disturbed by the ease with which Malfoy had controlled Amycus, who was agreed by all to be the smarter and thus more unpleasant of the duo. Again, Harry was reminded of Malfoy's background - had he perhaps grown up with Unforgivable Curses as commonplace?

"And now we wait," Malfoy said, snapping Harry back to the moment. They wanted to get the Carrows down to Cho's cell as quickly as possible so as to minimize the chance of discovery, but to bring them through the corridors between classes would just be foolish.

_Be still, _he thought to Alecto, who had begun to stir. The mental connection was an unsettling one, but Harry had faced far worse in the past. _Compared to having Voldemort in your skull, _thought Harry with a grim kind of humor, _Alecto's nothing._ Amycus still looked as though he hadn't a care in the world, much to Harry's displeasure.

Malfoy walked over to the door, pulling an Extendable Ear out of his pocket. He inserted one end into his ear and the other wriggled through the crack beneath the door. After listening for a few moments, he tugged the flesh-colored cord out of his ear and balled it up.

"Nothing," Malfoy said, stuffing the Ear into his pocket again. "The coast is clear." Harry nodded, then turned to Alecto.

_Follow me, _he ordered. _And stay quiet. Act natural. _And with that, the unlikely quartet slipped out into the deserted hall and snuck off towards the dungeons.

* * *

Harry spun around a corner and pressed his back against the wall, panting. He shoved Alecto after him, ordering her to keep running. This was the third close call the group had had since leaving the classroom. Harry had originally elected to lead, knowing the secret passages the best from all his nighttime wanderings, but Alecto had other plans. As could have been guessed from her physique, she was not the fittest of women, and had slowed considerably and the group moved along, forcing Harry to bring up the rear just to keep her from falling behind. His control was also slipping, Harry knew, but they didn't have the time Harry would need to collect himself and reinforce the curse, so they ran on.

Harry looked around, still breathing hard. He saw Malfoy farther down the hall, urging him silently to _Keep going!_ Up ahead, Alecto had again come to a halt. With a sigh, Harry prodded her in the back with his wand. 'Get moving, would you?" he said wearily.

It was the last straw. This final indignity was sufficient stimulus for Alecto to through Harry off completely. With only a split second's warning, Harry found himself facing a very angry Alecto with wand pointed straight at him. Harry cursed under his breath. How could they have forgotten to disarm them?

"Listen, brat," snarled Alecto, her menace somehow heightened by her flushed cheeks and heavy breathing. "I've been putting up with you since the day I came to this bloody school, but no more." Harry reached for his wand, but Alecto jabbed hers at him, sending off green sparks that singed his robes. "_Avada-"_

_"Imperio!" _Malfoy cried from down the hall. There was a flash of light, and Alecto's face suddenly lost its scowl. She toddled over to join Amycus, who had been watching from farther down the corridor as though this was all a mildly interesting TV program.

Harry turned to Malfoy. "Thanks," he said grudgingly. Malfoy merely nodded.

"That's the thing about Unforgivable Curses, Potter," he said with a bitter, twisted smile. "You really have to mean it."

Unnerved, Harry simply adjusted his glasses and said nothing. After a long pause, Malfoy said, with his regular mocking sneer back in place, "Hadn't we best be going?"

Harry nodded, reminded again of the seriousness of their mission. Pulling out the Marauder's Map, he checked the corridors around them. "Right," he said. "Cho's not on here - they must have made that room Unplottable - but it looks like the coast is clear until then. This way." With map still out and wand at the ready, Harry led Draco and the Carrows still deeper into the dungeons.

* * *

**A/N: Hello, dear friends! My apologies for the delay in bringing you this next chapter. Life has gotten a bit mad recently, and a lot has happened, but I have returned. Once again, I haven't the foggiest idea when the next update will be - it could be tomorrow, it could be another three months or however long it's been. Again, I'm terribly sorry. **

**I'd also like to extend a sincere thank you to anyone who has stuck it out this far. I love you all dearly, and, of course, I love to hear from you. Leave me a review, PM me, just say hi, whatever. I'm always interested in what you've got to say.**

**Again, I'm begging you, my faithful few, for a new title. Because the one I've got is bad. I know it, you know it, and I'd love to fix it. But that's always been the hardest part of writing for me, so I'm appealing to your creative genius. Please please please!**

**Anyway. Thanks for reading!**

**-Forever the Optimist**


	15. This Is War

_Zap!_

Harry jumped back from the open cell door, waving his stinging finger in the air. Malfoy watched with an amused little smile on his face.

"Well," he said snidely. "Weasley was right."

Harry glared. "Well if you're so smart, go right ahead," he snapped, knowing he was being rude but no longer caring. He stepped back and gestured towards the door.

With a wave of his wand, Malfoy grasped Amycus' shoulder and strode right through the invisible barrier. Once through the door, he roughly shoved the older man away from him and turned back to Harry. "Your move, Mr. Potter."

Harry gripped Alecto's elbow firmly and shoved her through the door. He flinched as he passed under the lintel, but nothing happened. It was just as Malfoy had said: physical contact was enough to break the barrier. Harry heaved a sigh of relief. He shot a quick smile at Malfoy, who merely raised an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet. We've still got to get her out of here."

Harry nodded, chastened. He had been so focused on how to get into the cell that he hadn't fully considered how to get out. He walked over to Cho, who was laying on the floor as if asleep, just as Ron had said. Harry pressed a hand to her forehead.

"She's ice cold," he said, glancing back at Malfoy.

"No wonder," Malfoy replied, shaking his head. "She's been lying on a cold stone floor for days. Here," he said, tossing his cloak at Harry. "Cover her up."

Without questioning this sudden act of kindness, Harry wrapped the cloak around the prone body on the floor, doing his best to ignore how stunning she was. _This is a rescue mission, Harry, _he told himself. _Keep your mind on the job._ He wrapped one arm around her and tried to stand. "Help me lift her," he called to Malfoy, who walked over and cautiously put one of Cho's arms over his shoulder. Harry stifled a smile. Malfoy looked frightened, as though he might somehow break the girl.

"On three," said Harry. Malfoy nodded stiffly. "One...two...three!"

Both boys heaved and at last managed to struggle to their feet. Harry, panting, marveled at how much more such a slight person could weigh while unconscious. "I can take her," he puffed, and felt the weight on his shoulders suddenly increase as Malfoy slipped away.

Harry staggered over to the wall and leaned against it as Malfoy renewed the Imperius Curse on the Carrows. "Ready to go?" Malfoy asked. Harry nodded and struggled over to Malfoy, who commanded the Carrows to guide the trio through the doorway. "Wait," Harry called as Malfoy started down the corridor. "We'll never make it to the hospital wing like this. You'll have to help me."

Malfoy stopped, then waved his wand. Harry felt two pairs of arms take Cho's dead weight off his shoulders. He spun around to see the Carrows each supporting an arm. "Are you mad, Malfoy?" he cried. "We're trying to rescue her from them! You can't just hand her back to them right away!"

Malfoy stopped and took a deep breath. Then he turned back to Harry. "Strategy, Potter," he said smoothly. "She's dead weight. If we carry her, we won't be able to defend ourselves, and I might be too distracted to keep the spell up. This way we have free movement. And, should they throw off the curse, they will have to deal with her first before they can come at us. Another obstacle keeping us safe."

Harry stared. "You can't use her as a shield! She's the one we came to rescue!"

"You just don't get it, do you?" Malfoy snapped, exasperated. "This is war, Potter. You do what you have to!" He spun on his heel and continued stiffly up the hall.

"Wait!" Harry called, running after him. "Malfoy, wait! Listen," he said as he drew closer. "This is a rescue, not a war. You're being overcautious."

Malfoy spun around, a spot of color tingeing his pale cheeks. "Not a war?" he scoffed. "Not a war. What do you think it is? Hostages, interrogations...you call yourself Dumbledore's Army, for Merlin's sake! This is a war, Potter, no matter what your intentions. War means casualties. You and I, we're necessary. You're their leader. They need you. And I'm your only link to the Slytherins. Cho? She's expendable." Correctly interpreting Harry's shocked expression, Malfoy's sneer deepened. "That's what war is, Potter. Priorities. Choices. Lose some to gain it all. You take casualties. That's what this means. And if you don't like it, you should never have started this in the first place."

Harry stood still, watching Malfoy continue down the corridor. "I won't take casualties," he said quietly to himself. Then a bit louder. "I won't take casualties!" He began to run. "You hear me, Malfoy?" he called as he ran down the hall after Malfoy and the Carrows. "If this is a war, then so be it. But I won't lose people. I won't do it, no matter what you think!"

Harry rounded the corner and stopped. A horrible sight greeted his eyes. Malfoy and Cho were each being held by burly figures in dark cloaks. _Death Eaters, _Harry thought. _Death Eaters in Hogwarts. _But how, why? And then suddenly, Harry understood.

"You won't take casualties, Mr. Potter?" came a breathy, girlish voice Harry knew all too well. "Your little friend here was right children who play at war must learn their lesson. I think perhaps I'll start with you." Out from behind the larger of the two men stepped Dolores Umbridge, short wand clasped in her pudgy little hands, a look of malicious triumph on her toad-like face. "Good evening, Mr. Potter," she said sweetly. Harry saw a jet of red light, and then everything went black.

* * *

**A.N: Good evening to you too, everyone! I certainly hope you enjoyed this, because I had a blast writing it. Fifteen chapters already! It's hard to believe, for me anyway. Let me know what you think, ja? I am a bit disappointed by the zero reviews I received on my last chapter :( Come, friends, don't let me down! You know I love your feedback! **

**Also, if any of you through some miracle have ever read any Hannah Swensen Dessert Mysteries, I'd love for you to come support my newest fic in a competition against my friend Strawberriesarelife17. Help me fight for my OTP!**

**Thanks again to all those who have stuck with me this far, and please review!**

**-Forever the Optimist**


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